Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging of the normal breast

Partridge, Savannah C.; Murthy, Revathi S.; Ziadloo, Ali; White, Steven W.; Allison, Kimberly H.; Lehman, Constance D.

doi:10.1016/j.mri.2009.10.003

« Previous Next »Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Volume 28, Issue 3 , Pages 320-328, April 2010

Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging of the normal breast☆

Savannah C. Partridge
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Corresponding author. University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA 98109-1023. Tel.: +1 206 288 1306; fax: +1 206 288 6473.
Revathi S. Murthy
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Ali Ziadloo
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Steven W. White
- Department of Computer Science, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Kimberly H. Allison
- Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Constance D. Lehman
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA

Received 28 May 2009; received in revised form 15 October 2009; accepted 27 October 2009. published online 11 January 2010.

Abstract

Purpose

The objective of this study was to evaluate diffusion anisotropy of the breast parenchyma and assess the range and repeatability of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters in normal breast tissue.

Materials and Methods

The study was approved by our institutional review board and included 12 healthy females (median age, 36 years). Diffusion tensor imaging was performed at 1.5 T using a diffusion-weighted echo planar imaging sequence. Diffusion tensor imaging parameters including tensor eigenvalues (λ₁, λ₂, λ₃), fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were measured for anterior, central and posterior breast regions.

Results

Mean normal breast DTI measures were λ₁=2.51×10⁻³ mm²/s, λ₂=1.89×10⁻³ mm²/s, λ₃=1.39×10⁻³ mm²/s, ADC=1.95±0.24×10⁻³ mm²/s and FA=0.29±0.05 for b=600 s/mm². Significant regional differences were observed for both FA and ADC (P<.05), with higher ADC in the central breast and higher FA in the posterior breast. Comparison of DTI values calculated using b=0, 600 s/mm² vs. b=0, 1000 s/mm², showed significant differences in ADC (P<.001), but not FA. Repeatability assessment produced within-subject coefficient of variations of 4.5% for ADC and 11.4% for FA measures.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates anisotropy of water diffusion in normal breast tissue and establishes a normative range of breast FA values. Attention to the influence of breast region and b value on breast DTI measurements may be important for clinical interpretation and standardization of techniques.

Keywords: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), Normal breast, Fractional anisotropy (FA), Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), Repeatability